City Centre Spatial Development Strategy

The city centre is the economic, social and civic hub that provides the greatest accessibility to jobs, services, shops, entertainment and public transport. However, the city centre faces particular challenges in the face of global competition, the internet and the growth of the knowledge economy. There is a need to diversify the land uses in the city centre to respond to changing customer demands, and wider economic structural changes due to the adoption of new technology. The Belfast Agenda and the BCCRIS are positioning the city centre as an appealing investment opportunity to attract people and businesses to Belfast. The LDP provides the overarching policies to guide development in the city centre and has identified four broad areas to encourage new sustainable mixed-use development to facilitate population and economic growth: City Core, Innovation District, Mercantile District, and Waterfront District.